BEVERLY, Mass. – The Endicott College baseball team ran its win streak to four games as the Gulls swept Wentworth Institute of Technology, 20-1, and 8-3, in Commonwealth Coast Conference action at North Field.
In the opener, the Gulls scored in all but one inning, including a nine-run third inning that blew the game open. Catcher EJ Martinez (Brooklyn, N.Y.) drove in five runs with two hits and third baseman Matthew Paola (Middlebury, Conn.) had four hits and scored four runs.
Martinez started the thunder in the top of the first with a two-run single through the right side with the bases loaded, after Eric Lemke (Soutington, Conn.) had already worked a run in with a walk. Colin Sitarz (West Hartford, Conn.) added an RBI single in the second and then Endicott plated nine runs on eight hits in the third, including an RBI single by Cody Hall (Rutland, Mass.) two run double by Conor Ressel (Rockport, Mass.) and a triple to right center by Harry Oringer (Dartmouth, Mass.) in three consecutive at-bats.
First baseman Brett Holmgren (Middleboro, Mass.), who scored twice in the game, reached on one of three Leopard errors and came around on a single by Paola. Lemke walked to get on base for the second time in the inning, which he had led off with a single, and Martinez emptied the bases with a three-run double to center field.
After the Gulls were held scoreless in the fourth for the first time all day, they took advantage of another error in the fifth and an RBI single by Ralph Fidaleo (Fairfield, Conn.) to score Taylor English (Barre, Vt.).
Michael Cahill (Plymouth, Mass.) would add an RBI sacrifice fly in the four-run fifth inning, and would go on to add two more runs in the seventh with a home run to left field, his first of the year, which scored freshman Greg Heineman (Wilbraham, Mass.).
Catcher Ryan Delgado (Wareham, Mass.) had two of Wentworth's six hits and provided their only offense with a solo home run of his own to left field in the bottom of the final frame.
That long ball broke up the shutout for Endicott's Tyler Hitchcock (Abington, Mass.), who improved to 5-0 on the year with a complete game, six hit and six-strikeout performance.
Wentworth starter Dakota Baird (Bermuda Dunes, Calif.) was tagged with the loss, dropping to 2-4 on the season after allowing 12 runs in just two and a third innings of work.
Right fielder Alex Wong (Lewiston, Maine) was the other member of the Leopards with multiple hits in the game.
In the nightcap, the Gulls were paced by a five-run second inning and RBIs from seven different batters, including two from the center fielder Ressel.
Lemke and Martinez each had two hits and scored twice while Sitarz was plunked twice and also came around to score both times he was on base.
Jake Mailman (Medway, Mass.) had two hits for the visitors and scored a run, while Wong and third baseman Scott Ouellette (Lewiston, Maine) each collected single RBIs.
Lemke, Martinez and Fidaleo had RBI singles in the second and Ressel added a two-run double as again the Gulls jumped out to a big early lead.
Wentworth bounced back with two runs in the third when Wong tripled to center field to score Jon Spitz (Hanover, Mass.) and then came across on a wild pitch. They tacked on another run in the fourth on an RBI groundout by Ouellette to score Mailman, who had led off the inning with a double to left field.
Endicott got two of those runs back in the sixth, when Lemke led off with a walk and scored on a single by freshman left fielder Corbin Hyde (Lewiston, Maine), and then Oringer singled home Martinez, who had singled himself as part of a 2-for-3 day in game two with an RBI and two runs scored.
The top of the seventh featured one more run from the Gulls when Sitarz was plated by Paola, who doubled to right center.
Endicott starter Zac Poland (Essex Junction, Vt.) went three innings and allowed just two runs on four hits but was not eligible to receive the decision, which went to Michael Griffin (Arlington, Mass.), who pitched two-thirds of an inning in relief of Poland.
Mike Nich (Orange, Conn.), Connor McLaughlin (Clinton, Mass.) and Kevin Dupras (Belchertown, Mass.) each pitched scoreless innings, with Dupras recording three strike-outs in the seventh.
Freshman Paul Vergara (Needham, Mass.) dropped to 2-3 on the year, allowing eight earned runs on ten hits over six and a third innings. Vergara struck out three batters and issued two walks.
The Gulls (18-10, 9-1) travel to Gorham, Maine for a non-conference game against the Southern Maine Huskies on Wednesday at 3:30 pm. Wentworth (11-13, 2-8) has an out-of-league game the same time at Babson.
(Recap Courtesy of Endicott Sports Information)
